Example sentences of "could [not/n't] [verb] to be " in BNC.
Next page| No | Sentence |
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| 1 | Because they could not stand to be in the company of his wife , they rarely saw him . |
| 2 | From this position he could not expect to be prominent going to the first bend , the clubhouse turn , and Shoemaker held him back in about eighth place , some four horses out from the rails , as the runners came past the stands . |
| 3 | Whereas it would have been possible to ask Harriet Finlay Johnson , ‘ What are you teaching this lesson ? ’ and the answer could easily be something like , ‘ The Spanish Armada ’ , one could not expect to be given an equivalent answer from Peter Slade , Brian Way or the Speech and Drama teachers . |
| 4 | But other shocks to the system followed in quick succession : a new language and culture ; the insensitivity , not always unintentional , of foster parents , teachers and hostel administrators ; the cruelty of other children ( and some adults ) who equated all things German with Nazism ; the coming-to-terms with the long-term or permanent loss of family and friends who had been left behind , and the awareness that refugees could not expect to be treated other than as second-class citizens — to mention only the common causes of illness and depression . |
| 5 | Unfortunately insufficient members turned up to achieve a quorum , but ex-chairman , Robin Brookes , took the opportunity to state that the guild could not continue to be run on a rotation of volunteers . |
| 6 | Edward declared he could not continue to be king without the women he loved . |
| 7 | He genuinely had little concern with making money for its own sake , but he could not fail to be infected by Marjorie 's martyred attitude to their shortage of cash , and he resented being reminded of it by Kegan 's sleekness . |
| 8 | As you see , it was a rather exalted collaboration , and the work which was to ensue could not fail to be remarkably beautiful . |
| 9 | Alum pot itself could not fail to be noticed by the first settlers in the district , its yawning gulf constituting an obvious danger to both man and beast ; in the course of time , a wall was built around it and trees planted to indicate its position . |
| 10 | ‘ The style of writing is lively and straightforward , and the reader could not fail to be stimulated by the ideas presented . ’ |
| 11 | The technical officer could not fail to be conscious of the lethal potential of an electrical discharge from the platform . |
| 12 | As soon as it had been fired from the Simonova the pod would have started to broadcast a signal and , since the crew of the survey ship could not fail to be aware that a pod had been discharged , and that it was occupied , he supposed that his descent had been tracked and that someone at least knew where he was to be found . |
| 13 | ‘ Whereas the police , no doubt , would continue to draft in innumerable squads of men to trample the landscape and inspect the ground , and exude such an aura of busyness and continuous reorganisation that even the most cynical observer could not fail to be impressed . ’ |
| 14 | Whether racing or cruising , the most critical crew could not fail to be anything other than delighted with this yacht 's performance . |
| 15 | Perhaps she never realized quite how deep-seated was this need , but shop , as well as factory staff , could not fail to be impressed at the way both she and Bernard always knew their names , asked with interest about their home life and would always try and help if there was a problem by sending taxis , flowers , hot meals or whatever the crisis demanded . |
| 16 | It could not fail to be excellent in your hands , and quite put Mr Thackeray in the shade . |
| 17 | The young man , whose name was Merbury , was eager and inexperienced , and took it for granted , as an honest man well might , that his story of complete and shattering victory , of the capture of so many of the active nobility of Scotland , and of a bright lustre added to the name of Percy and of England could not fail to be pleasing to his sovereign . |
| 18 | The Republic was associated with virtue and austerity , so that society could not hope to be improved until the regime responsible for this fearful debauching of the public mind was overthrown . |
| 19 | If they both were of the same logical type , then we could not hope to be able to clarify the distinction between numerical and species identity and the possibility of order in space or time . |
| 20 | She could hear the beating of his heart and she closed her eyes , thankful for his presence for she could not bear to be alone , not now , not yet . |
| 21 | He could not bear to be away from Maura today . |
| 22 | Mortal , I could not bear to be the one who slays the light . |
| 23 | Bowler felt that Minton was happiest when painting and would have been content with a quiet life had he not been driven by a need for others and by the fact that he could not bear to be on his own . |
| 24 | But I could not bear to be supplanted in a view that lay next to my heart by an old acquaintance . |
| 25 | I could not bear to be in France a moment longer : my friends confirmed my impulse . |
| 26 | FitzAlan was holding her as if he would make her part of himself , as if he could not bear to be separate from her . |
| 27 | The truth was that he could not bear to be so close to Chris and yet feel so distant . |
| 28 | He discharged himself from hospital against medical advice , saying he could not bear to be in the same building as Keith Pringle , the man police are waiting to interview about a 47hour armed siege in Darlington . |
| 29 | Mr Ward , 20 , of Westminster Road , Darlington , left hospital in Middlesbrough a month ago against medical advice because he could not bear to be in the same building as Keith Pringle . |
| 30 | Mr Ward , of Westminster Road , Darlington , left Middlesbrough General Hosptal , against medical advice because he could not bear to be in the same building as gunman Keith Pringle . |